Undefeated Boston fighter Saul Almeida wins Bellator open tryout

Bellator Fighting Championships declared undefeated fighter Saul Almeida the winner of its Boston-area open tryout and has awarded the lightweight a spot on one of the organization’s season-three fight cards.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney made the announcement on Tuesday.

Almeida, who’s 8-0 since turning pro in October 2008, arrived at Mark DellaGrotta’s Sityodtong USA gym and beat out dozens of other fighters, including EliteXC and Strikeforce vets.

“Once again, a very impressive group of fighters turned out for our open tryout and the chance to fight for Bellator.” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. “Among this group, though, Saul Almeida rose to the top. He has a great background that combines karate, jiu-jitsu and wrestling, and he’s yet to lose a fight as a pro. I’m excited to watch him fight under the Bellator banner later this year.”

Almeida, who’s just 19, was born in Brazil and moved to the Boston area when he was 8. Since turning pro, he’s fought throughout the Northeast, which included two fights with top regional promotion World Championship Fighting. He owns a karate black belt and Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, and his well-rounded style had led to six decision victories and two submission wins.

“I’m just very, very happy,” Almeida said. “Bellator is a great organization, and I’m excited to get to the next level of my career and excited to see what I can do.”

Bellator’s third season begins in September and runs for 12 weeks. Like
the current second season, events air live on FOX Sports Net with
weekend highlights packages on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

For the latest on Bellator’s upcoming shows, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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